Cyril took a slow step forward, feeling the solid stone beneath his boots.
The weight of his robe, the warmth of the sun against his skin, the faint scent of baked bread drifting from a nearby stall — it was all so real.
The sheer level of immersion Elden Online offered never failed to impress.
Even after years of playing VRMMOs, stepping into a world like this still had the power to steal his breath away.
He turned his head slightly, catching his reflection in the glass window of a nearby building.
Silver hair, sharp crimson eyes, and a sleek dark robe embroidered with alchemic symbols. Exactly how he had designed his character.
His features carried a certain sharpness, not quite noble but refined enough to stand out. The robe itself was lightweight, the fabric flowing with his movements, signaling his identity as an Alchemist.
For a moment, Cyril simply stared.
It had been years since he last played an MMO seriously. Seeing himself like this — standing at the start of a new journey — brought an unfamiliar feeling, something between nostalgia and anticipation.
The city around him was alive with movement.
Players rushed through the streets, some already dashing toward the training grounds, eager to test their new abilities.
Others had gathered near bulletin boards, likely searching for the first set of beginner quests.
Merchants lined the streets, hawking potions, weapons, and gear to the early adventurers, though most items were out of reach for now.
Among the crowd, Cyril spotted other Alchemists like himself.
A few wore the same beginner robe, their expressions ranging from excitement to concern.
Some were huddled together, discussing theories about the new class, while others already looked like they regretted their choice. He caught bits of conversation as he passed.
"Man, I knew this was a mistake. What the hell am I supposed to do in combat?"
"Hey, did you get a talent when you started? Mine is just 'Basic Potion Efficiency'… sounds kinda lame."
"This class better not be trash, or I swear I'm rerolling."
Cyril smirked slightly. Alchemy Reforged had been controversial from the start.
Most of the player base believed Alchemists would never be viable, that they were doomed to be support characters at best, potion vendors at worst.
But Cyril had no plans to follow that narrative.
He took a few steps forward, letting himself absorb the city's atmosphere.
The architecture was medieval, with towering stone buildings, intricate carvings, and banners fluttering in the wind.
A massive fountain stood at the city's center, its crystal-clear water reflecting the sky.
Despite the bustling crowd, Cyril moved with purpose.
The first step to any MMO was understanding the mechanics.
Before rushing into combat or grinding for levels, he needed to familiarize himself with the game's systems — especially since he was playing a class that no one had mastered yet.
He pulled up his interface with a simple thought command. A translucent screen appeared before him.
---
📜 Player Status – [Cyril]
Race: Human
Class: Alchemist (Legendary Variant)
Level: 1
Title: [None]
Guild: [None]
🔹 HP: 100 / 100
🔹 MP: 500 / 500
🔹 Stamina: 150 / 150
🔹 Strength: 5 🠖 (Physical Power)
🔹 Agility: 8 🠖 (Movement Speed & Reflexes)
🔹 Vitality: 6 🠖 (Endurance & HP Recovery)
🔹 Intelligence: 15 🠖 (MP & Magic Power Scaling)
🔹 Wisdom: 20 🠖 (Alchemy Success Rate & Potion Efficiency)
🔹 Dexterity: 12 🠖 (Precision for Transmutation & Crafting)
🔹 Luck: ??? (Hidden)
🔮 Core Abilities
🜂 [Grandmaster's Codex] (Legendary) A mythical alchemy manual that allows the user to break the system's limits. Grants the ability to create, modify, and transmute materials beyond standard game mechanics.
🛑 Cannot Be Stolen, Traded, or Copied.
---
Cyril's eyes lingered on his stats. As expected, his Strength, Agility, and Endurance were low, but his Intelligence and Wisdom were higher than average.
A typical mage-like spread, emphasizing magic and knowledge over raw physical prowess.
But what stood out the most was Grandmaster's Codex.
A talent like that had the potential to break the game.
He tapped on it, but instead of the usual system tooltip, something strange happened.
A wave of information flooded his mind — intricate transmutation circles, forgotten potion recipes, alchemic symbols pulsing with hidden meaning.
It was as if an entire lost archive of knowledge had been shoved into his brain at once. His vision blurred for a split second before stabilizing.
Cyril exhaled sharply.
That… wasn't normal.
Usually, game talents provided small buffs, incremental advantages. But this? This was something else entirely.
The knowledge he had just gained wasn't part of the official system. It felt like something the developers themselves had forgotten to document.
A slow grin spread across his face.
This wasn't just a gimmick. This was power.
But before he could experiment, a sudden commotion nearby caught his attention.
A group of players had gathered in a circle near the fountain, their voices rising in excitement.
Curious, Cyril walked over, weaving through the crowd until he could see the cause of the spectacle. In the center of the gathering, two players were dueling.
One was a Warrior, clad in heavy armor, wielding a massive greatsword. His swings were powerful, but slow, each strike sending bursts of energy into the ground.
His opponent, an Assassin, was faster, weaving through the attacks with impressive agility, landing precise strikes whenever an opening appeared.
The fight was a display of raw skill. Neither side had any abilities unlocked yet — at Level 1, they were relying purely on their starting stats and reflexes.
Cyril crossed his arms, observing.
This was another reminder of the early-game meta. Warriors had brute force, Assassins had speed. Alchemists? They had nothing.
At least, not yet.
As the duel ended — Assassin winning by the slimmest margin — Cyril turned away, making his way toward one of the city's side streets.
The true strength of an Alchemist wasn't in brute force or agility. It wasn't even in raw magic.
It was in creating potions better than anyone else.
And Cyril was very, very good at that.
He smirked to himself as he continued down the path.